John Lauridsen

John Lauridsen

Lauridsen lining-up for Español
Personal information
Full name	John Mikkelsen Lauridsen
Date of birth	(1959-04-02) 2 April 1959 (age 57)
Place of birth	Ribe, Denmark
Height	1.74 m (5 ft 8 1⁄2 in)
Playing position	Midfielder
Youth career
	Gredstedbro
	Vejle
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
1978–1982	Esbjerg	76	(11)
1982–1988	Español	214	(26)
1988–1990	Málaga	58	(3)
1990–1992	Esbjerg	70	(16)
Total		418	(56)
National team
1981–1988	Denmark	27	(3)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only.

John Mikkelsen Lauridsen (born 2 April 1959) is a retired Danish professional footballer who played as an attacking midfielder, gifted with field vision and able to shoot with both feet.

He won the Danish championship with Esbjerg, before playing eight years uninterrupted in La Liga, with Español and Málaga. He appeared in more than 250 official games for the former club, helping it reach the 1988 UEFA Cup Final.

Lauridsen played 27 times for Denmark after making his debut in 1981, representing the nation at the Euro 1984.

Born in Ribe, Jutland, Lauridsen played his youth football in Gredstedbro and Vejle Boldklub, before he made his senior debut in the Danish 1st Division with Esbjerg fB in 1978. He played 16 matches the following season, as the club won the league.

Lauridsen made his Danish national team debut on 12 August 1981, in a 2–1 friendly win in Finland in which he scored the equalizer at the 27th minute (the first of his three international goals). Also that summer, he was supposed to travel to England to sign for Ipswich Town, but the ferry did not make the journey due to bad weather conditions, and the deal fell through. Shortly after, football agent Fernand Goyvaerts phoned the player with an offer from Spain's RCD Español, which he accepted, joining the Catalans in early 1982 and becoming a full-time professional.